http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34070 François Chladiuk’s Western Shop grew out of a life’s passion for the Wild West.
This collector of the “real McCoy” started with antique Winchesters 40 years ago, adding
statues and saddles before a chance opportunity led to him acquiring 150 pieces that had languished in a basement for decades, including vibrant Indian headdresses, tunics, moccasins and jewellery. He suspected they were old, and placed adverts in magazines and tried to track down photos of the period. One day, while looking at a postcard, he realised he had a match. “I was shaking, I ran upstairs and compared it. And there it was!” From the few surviving photographs of the period, he discovered he owned clothing and artefacts that had belonged to the Little Elk and Little Moon families who had performed in the Wild West Shows for the Brussels World Fair in 1935. Since then Francois’s whole collection has been displayed at Belgium’s Royal Museum for Art and History, and pieces have been loaned to The Buffalo Bill museum in Golden, Colorado. A few pieces are currently ondisplay in that same Brussels museum.
22 years ago François started his shop, still with his collection in mind, selling the “real hats, the real boots and the real shirts.” The brands featured are 120 or 130 years old, including Tony Lama, which last year celebrated its 100th anniversary. This place is about as far removed from a western superstore as you can imagine. Wooden floors, country music in the background and the inescapable smell of leather. Among the Stetsons, jewellery and shirts I ask him what he is most proud of. Unsurprisingly it is the inventory of 2500 pairs of cowboy boots, including the traditional or the colourful, amongst exotic skins such as shark, lizard, python, hippo or stingray. To keep the shop well-stocked, Francois flies to the States five times a year, taking in the Denver show in January and September, which has “everything”, and twice visiting Tulse, Oklohoma, for collectables from the “biggest gun show on earth”. Then it’s either the Cody show or the High Noon show in Phoenix for antiques. Distances and unloading aside, there is no “work” involved in running this shop. “At 38 I opened, and at 38 I stopped working!
“Every ten or 12 years there is like a Western fashion wave coming all over the world.
My friends say; ‘You must be lucky now, you must be happy! Now you’re making a lot
of money.’ But it’s just not true”, he says. Those are the times of cheap imitations and dreamcatchers, not the “real McCoy”.
“Is it because my father was liberated by Americans that I became interested in the Wild
West?” Perhaps there’s something to that, but after a childhood of playing Cowboys and
Indians and his recent discovery of a Little Moon descendant in Wounded Knee, Francois’ enthusiasm shows no sign of waning. He has amassed memorabilia relating to the Wild West shows that took place in Belgium, and to the founder of those shows, Buffalo Bill. Can he bring himself to sell anything from his treasured collection? Once, he sold a 7ft by 6ft portrait of Buffalo Bill. “That’s enormous”, I say. It took six men to lift it, but that was not the main reason it had to go: François had moved to a house with lower ceilings, and, as he put it, “I didn’t want Buffalo Bill’s head – down there!”
Every Buffalo Bill and Wild West enthusiast should pay Brussels’ Western Man a visit. And I’ll be back for his boots.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34070 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33794 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33794 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33788 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33788 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33784 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33784 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33783 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33783 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33762 Newark is not far from Nottingham - about 30 minutes by car or train. Or about one hour 30 minutes from London Kings Cross. Makes for an interesting day out - and you can even take your dog along. Next one is in April... they happen a few times each year.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33762 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33753 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33753 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33434 Street level houses a quirky veggie café and a music/video/wine shop. Downstairs is a lounge/restaurant area with the same menu, and a club.
During the daytime enjoy the Radost FX cafe. Set behind large windows facing the street, the cafe has some pretty eclectic decor. Tuck into breakfast from 8-11, or later on enjoy the wide vegetarian menu later in the day. Radost Fx has a truly global menu, boasting dishes from countries including Greece, Italy, India and Thailand as well as some of the best veggie burgers and 'slaw ever. Food is available all day.
The same menu is available in the longue area downstairs, which is complimented by a great bar and live music at the weekends - well into the small hours.
I especially love the shop area on street level next to the cafe. As well as videos, DVDs and wine, this cosy shop offers an ever changing selection of vintage and contemporary music on vinyl.
There’s something for everyone here, at any time of day.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33434 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33170 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33170 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33161 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33161 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33126 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33126 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33002 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33002 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32916 Stock is always changing and subsequently every time you enter minutes (and often hours disappear). The standard or stock probably exceeds some of it's central London cousins.
Just a great vintage shop, run by a fun team. Well worth a stop.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32916 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32297 Princes Street may have one of the best views of any high-street in Britain, (Edinburgh’s lovely castle) but the big high-street stores and garish tartan tat shops show nothing of the one-off boutiques, local designers, vintage stores and dusty bookstores that lurk off the beaten track.

Here are three of my favourite shopping stops:

1. Totty Rocks – 40 Victoria Street, Old Town
Little boutique designer shop run by two friends, and packed full with retro chic creations. They love to put their own twist on a classic look, so stand out from the crowd in one of their own unique designs.

2. W M Armstrong’s – 81-83 Grassmarket, Old Town
This world famous vintage store is packed to the rafters with plenty of wonders from the past few decades. Anyone with even the slightest interest in clothes should pay a visit.

3. Armchair books - 72-74 West Port, Old Town
This old-school second hand bookstore has been delighting for more than 15 years. The shop itself looks as if it is entirely built of books and has that wonderfully musty old-book smell that Waterstones somewhat lacks. Lose yourself in the shelves.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32297 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32156 I bought some Franco era peseta coins as souvenirs. These coins cost only 50c or €1 each and are a reminder of Spain's dark days.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32156 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31648 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31648 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31523 The Item boasts a good range of vintage clothing lovingly restored by its American owner-dressmakers. This charming boutique also has its own 'house label' Kiss My Valentine, through which designers turn colourful 50s and 60s dresses into more contemporary items and create replica party dresses from luxurious Italian fabrics. A good range of accessories including clutches, jewellery and headpieces.
A lovely shop for a splurge.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31523 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31327 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31327 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31298 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31298 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30178 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30178